Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Palette - swatches & review

Hello, Beautiful!

With a new palette being released all the time, from just about every makeup brand out there, it's hard to get excited (repeatedly) over each and every one. However, I was REALLY excited about the Urban Decay and Gwen Stefani collaboration palette!

I've been a fan of Gwen Stefani since her No Doubt days (I wanted to be Gwen when I was younger and had the song Spiderwebs playing on my answering machine when I had my own phone line in my bedroom). So I knew I HAD to get this palette. After seeing pics online, I was thrilled. I know many people were disappointed by the number of neutral shades, but I saw a lot of potential with the palette. Plus, I love neutrals and this palette seemed very cohesive.

This palette is MUCH prettier in person than in all the pics you may have previously seen online. Even my pics don't do this palette justice.  At the time I wrote this post, it was sold out but it should come back in stock. It is limited edition though, so if you're interested in this palette you don't want to wait if you see it back in stock.

Check out all the product info, along with my full review, after the pics!

Urban Decay Gwen Stefani palette Info & Review

Cost: $58.00
Availability: Available on the Urban Decay website, at Sephora, and at select other retailers (Ulta, Macys).

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Kisses!

PRODUCT DETAILS & CLAIMS...

Urban Decay partnered with Gwen Stefani to create the ultimate eyeshadow collection filled with 15 of her can't-live-without shades. Gwen designed and developed the palette, spending countless hours and making every detail just right.

There are 12 new shades in this palette and 3 are current Urban Decay shadows.

Each shadow pan is 0.04 oz

Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Palette

This palette is really sturdy and feels well made. When you open it up (as you can see in the pic above), it does have a hinge so you can prop it open and actually use the large mirror that is included. I like that about this palette and put it to good use on my most recent trip to Pennsylvania.

The outside of the palette is really interesting.... a gold border surrounds a white background with black polka dots. A metal Urban Decay | Gwen Stefani plaque is on top of that. There is dimension to the palette front, which I like.

The back of the palette is gold with the Urban Decay palette info sticker. Excuse all the finger prints... I was excited to swatch this palette and didn't take time to properly prep it for photos.

On the bottom right corner of the mirror there is a little message printed that says "Magic's In The Makeup".



Here are all the gorgeous shades included in this palette. You get 15 full sized eyeshadows.

Here are close up pics of each shade, and their swatches.... going row by row.

The top row has shades Blonde, Bathwater, Skimp, Steady and Punk.

Blonde is a pale beige with a pink iridescent shift. 

Bathwater is a pale beige with gold pearl.

Skimp is a pale nude satin.

Steady is a medium rose with metallic gold shift.

Punk is a reddish brown matte.

The middle row has shades Baby, Anaheim, Stark, Zone, Serious.

Baby is a cool metallic rose.

Anaheim is a light taupe-brown matte.

Stark is a nude-pink matte.

Zone is a medium brown matte.

Serious is a smoky gray with iridescent floating pearl.

The bottom row has shades Pop, Harajuku, Danger, 1987 and Blackout.

Pop is a pale coral with iridescent sparkle.

Harajuku is a metallic blue-pink with iridescent micro-shimmer.

Danger is a deep metallic royal blue with blue micro-sparkle.

1987 is a bright metallic yellow-gold.

Blackout is the blackest black matte.

FINAL THOUGHTS...

This palette far exceeds my expectations and I couldn't be more pleased with it. It's a very cohesive palette too; you could take just this palette with you and have all you need to create a wide range of looks.

Probably the only let-down shade for me was the shade Serious -- and it's not even that much of a let down. In the pan it looks like a beautiful gray with sparkle, but it doesn't translate to the lid that way. It more so just looks like a satin finish gray, which is still okay for me because I love gray shades.

My favorite shades (so far) are Baby, Punk, Pop, Blackout, Anaheim, Zone and Steady. But I really do like them all... well with the exception of Harajuku (it's just not a pink shade that appeals to me, but maybe I can make it work).

If you love neutral shades and like the Urban Decay shadow formula, you need this palette in your life. If you're a fan of Gwen Stefani, you need this palette in your life. The only reason I'd say to stay away from this palette is if you don't enjoy neutrals. Other than that, I couldn't recommend this one more. It's just a beauty inside and out!

Now let me know what you think...

What do you think of this palette? Have you tried this, or would you consider adding this to your beauty wish list? Discuss in the comments below!

xoxo with love & beauty,
Crystal Valentine

PUR Minerals Eye Polish - All 6 Shades!! Swatches, pics, and review

Hello, Beautiful!

PUR Minerals have come out with another great product: their Eye Polish! They sent me all six shades to test drive. This product can be used as an eye primer, top coat, or just an all-over metallic eye look. I've been using these quite a bit lately.... the shade Silk is my absolute favorite! Check out all the product info, along with my full review and a bunch of pics!

PUR Minerals Eye Polish Info & Review

Cost: $26.00 (0.28 fl oz full size)
Availability: Available on the PUR Minerals website and at Ulta.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Kisses

PRODUCT DETAILS & CLAIMS...

Make your eyes pop in a blink! This eye primer and top coat's pure pigment creates a crease-proof eye shadow base with a luminous metallic sheen. This eye-opening formula glides on with pro precision and builds with exceptional ease with the use of the enclosed latex-free silicone applicator. Use alone as an iridescent cream shadow, under mineral eye shadows for visibly more vibrant color or over mineral shadow as a top coat to amplify color and add dimension to your eye look!

Available in six shades:

• Velvet - plush amethyst
• Satin - sheer crystal pink
• Cashmere - shimmery champagne
• Silk - prism copper
• Suede - earthy seductive neutral
• Caviar - lavish black with gold karat flecks

PUR Minerals Eye Polish
Shades: Velvet, Satin, Cashmere, Silk, Suede, Caviar
Continue scrolling down to see more pics of each individual shade.

The boxes are color coordinated to match the jar and the product inside.

The back shows the included applicator and the product.

The top of the boxes list the shade names.

They come in round jars, that are color coordinated -- which I love! It makes it so easy to find the shade I want within my drawers.

The names are listed on the bottom of the jars.

When you open them, you'll see a mesh netting circle. I like this style of product dispenser because it keeps the mess to a minimum and easily distributes the color. The mesh netting does stretch all the way to the bottom of the jar, in case you were wondering how to get the last bits of product out.

Here are several swatch pics, showed at various angles.

Shades are as follows: TOP ROW: Velvet, Satin, Cashmere - BOTTOM ROW: Silk, Suede, Caviar

And here are all six swatches on paper....

Each jar also comes with a mini applicator that has a silicone tip. The silicone tip is a good choice when it comes to apply this type of product - but honestly, I just use my finger.

It has a pointed top - similar in shape to the traditional sponge-tip applicators we've all come to know. This silicone version is a much easier-to-clean version.

Now let's talk about each individual shade...

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PUR Minerals Eye Polish
Shade: Velvet
This shade is described as a plush amethyst.

This shade, to me, is a wine-stained amethyst berry.... yeah, I'm not the best at describing shades. It's a very gorgeous fall and winter shade. Not my typical shade choice, but I've been stepping far out of my comfort zone lately with eyeshadow looks. I can find a way to make almost any color work, and this one is an easy one to get a pretty look out of.

When used alone you get exactly what you see in the swatches below. It does have a slight metallic finish to it, but I find it to be more of a high sheen than metallic.

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PUR Minerals Eye Polish
Shade: Satin
This shade is described as a sheer crystal pink.

I really wanted to love this one, because like icy pinks like this one can be really pretty when paired with some brown tones.... but my jar was a bit dried out and made it difficult to work with. Hard to get enough product out and it didn't apply as smoothly.

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PUR Minerals Eye Polish
Shade: Cashmere
This shade is described as a shimmery champagne.

Even more so than the previous shade, Satin, this one was also dried out and difficult to get a good swatch. Because of that, I just didn't use this one on my eyes. A champagne shade is a go-to for me, so I was a bit sad I couldn't rock this one on my eyes the way I wanted to, but don't let my two jars be a reason to not get these two shades... they are very pretty shades.

For whatever reason, my camera was not cooperating with me when it came to getting a good swatch pic of this shade. But in person it's very pretty and more shiny.

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PUR Minerals Eye Polish
Shade: Silk
This shade is described as a prism copper.

Now this shade is my absolute FAVORITE!! I used this shade first, and was in LOVE with it after my first use. I made an Instagram post showing the shade Silk all over my lid and the only other shade on my eyes was a burnt orange shade from the Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette.

It's a gorgeous warm toned copper... an orange-peachy shade that I am obsessed with. This one also had the best metallic shine out of them all.

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PUR Minerals Eye Polish
Shade: Suede
This shade is described as an earthy seductive neutral.

I typically love chocolately brown shades, but for some reason this one wasn't a winner for me. Don't get me wrong, it's a pretty shade but I just didn't find myself reaching for it all that much.

On my complexion, I feel it takes on a more green undertone to the brown and it just doesn't do much for my eye color. If you had blue or green eyes, I think you'd appreciate this one a whole lot more.

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PUR Minerals Eye Polish
Shade: Caviar
This shade is described as a lavish black with gold karat flecks.

This little beauty is wonderful. It looks more brown in these pics - especially the pic right below this, but in person this is not a brown shade - its' a black with gold. And it's gorgeous!

It's a bit intense for an all-over lid shade.. but if you want a dark, dramatic smokey eye, this shade will get you there fast. The gold flecks are so, so, so pretty. I have used this as an eyeliner and just on the outer corner of the lid and have loved the results.

FINAL THOUGHTS...

If you like metallic eyes, and cream/liquid shadows, then the PUR Minerals Eye Polishes are a must-try product! They're a time saver, since you don't need a primer underneath. Plus, you can use them as a primer/shadow base too - so you get dual use from these.

One thing I want to point out is these are a liquid and I needed to shake these a bit to get the product even.... what I mean by that is the first time I used the shade Silk there was a lot of silver glitter in the formula --- which I actually LOVED because I am a glitter-aholic. I had a ton of sparkle to my eyes and was love struck! As I shook it up and used it again, there wasn't that obvious glitter to it and instead it was the true metallic formula it was meant to be. So if you're finding that there is too much glitter when you use it, just shake it up.

They are on the pricey side, but everyone views value differently -- especially when it comes to makeup. Some may never want to pay the $26 price tag, and others see the value in a versatile product. Also, if it's a shade you love then price doesn't matter.

What I love about these most is how budge-proof they are. They really do stay put and won't fade or crease as the day goes on.

The shade Silk is my favorite and the one I'd recommend most out of them all.

Now let me know what you think...

What do you think of this product? Have you tried this, or would you consider adding this to your beauty wish list? Discuss in the comments below!

xoxo with love & beauty,
Crystal Valentine

Disclaimer: This is NOT a sponsored post. However, these products were sent to me for consideration. I am not being paid to make this post, nor has the company influenced me in any way. I have made this post because I wanted to, not because I had to. These are my honest opinions, thoughts and experiences.